The Sun Came Out On Sunday

Twitter was abuzz with Paris folks complaining about the second weekend in a row with a rainy forecast.  Weather in Paris is always a trending topic, but people seem to get extra cranky about it when the weekends are gloomy.

Saturday was indeed wet and grey.  Sunday was forecasted to be more of same.   Blah.  Yawn.  Can I stay in my jammies?

And then, in defiance of iPhones everywhere, the sun came out shortly before noon on Sunday,  followed quickly by lots and lots of people who were tired of being cooped up in their apartments.  Or cafes.  Or incredible museums.  Or whatever.  We’re always happy to see the sun.

I, myself, left my flannel, leopard-print jammies* in a pile on the floor and slipped into some clothes.  No shower- I wasn’t sure I had time for such an indulgence.  I put on my shades and prayed the sun stayed out long enough for me to be able to keep them on the whole time I was out, because I wasn’t looking too good.

I decided to trace my old steps.  Last year I walked Wonderchien up the Champs Elysees to the Tuileries every single morning.  Now that I am chien -free, I don’t go there as much.  It’s such an amazing walk- I really should do it more often.

That day when I arrived at the Tuileries I was delighted to see that FIAC had spilled over into the gardens.  I know what you’re asking.  “What the FIAC?”  It is the annual International Contemporary Arts Fair, of course!  The heart of the event takes place in the Grand Palais, where 178 galleries exhibited (mostly very expensive) art from almost 3000 artists.  Lucky for me, there was also a series of outdoor art projects scattered in various locations of the city.

As I entered the Tuileries from the Place de la Concorde, this was my first clue that something unusual  was going on.

They look like strange birds, don’t they?  As the pieces slowly moved in the breeze, they cast interesting shadows on the white fabric and on the water.

This next piece was a kind of curved mirror with a strip cut out in the middle.

This piece was called something like “house of carpets” and was a cube covered in carpets that had been painted grey.  It was cooler than my photograph would indicate.

And here is another bird-like creature.

I thought this piece was gorgeous.  It looked like a giant shell and was called something like “the beginning of the world”.  Sorry to be so vague- I wasn’t taking notes.  I was out for a walk, remember?

This lovely lady with the bird on her head was not part of the show.  She lives there.

By now I was at the far end of the Tuileries, approaching the Louvre.

At this point I turned around and headed back to the Tuileries, looking for art hiding off the center path.  But before I got there I walked by this gorgeous building and gate.

Now back to the park.

More art!

This tower looked cooler in real life because you could see the slivers of space in between the objects, and it looked as if they were all hovering in the air.

By now I was almost back to where I started.  I decided to take a break.

I sat here.

And ate this.

That’s so typical of Paris.  You think you’re just going out for a walk, in a place you have been a hundred times, and yet you are surprised with something new and beautiful every few steps you take. Do you see why going for walks back home just isn’t the same?

As I went across the Place de la Concorde, I noticed that the fountain that never seems to be flowing was indeed flowing.

*That night when I got into bed, Mark told me I smelled like pancakes.  I told him that meant one of two things: I was spending too much time in the kitchen, or too much time in my pajamas.  To which he replied, “that sounds like something for your blog”.  I think he was just avoiding telling me which answer he thought was correct.  Probably a wise move.

Thanks for stopping by, my friends!

xxx